I have a recipe somewhere for "Cajun barbecued shrimp" that uses Szeged "Hot" Hungarian Paprika.

That would HAVE to be good!

It is. It's from a lovely restaurant here in Cincinnati that's gone now: The Heritage.

Basically, it's not "barbecued" in the traditional sense. Rather, extra large shrimp are sauteed in an extremely over-the-top heavily seasoned butter / oil mixture and finished in the oven. Served with French bread, which is almost as good as the shrimp when dipped in the sauce.

The best time I ever made it was when a guy with more money than kitchen know-how threw a party, and I was invited. He offered to pay for the ingredients if I made this dish as the appetizer. Which I did: TEN POUNDS of it.

It is. It's from a lovely restaurant here in Cincinnati that's gone now: The Heritage.

Basically, it's not "barbecued" in the traditional sense. Rather, extra large shrimp are sauteed in an extremely over-the-top heavily seasoned butter / oil mixture and finished in the oven. Served with French bread, which is almost as good as the shrimp when dipped in the sauce.

The best time I ever made it was when a guy with more money than kitchen know-how threw a party, and I was invited. He offered to pay for the ingredients if I made this dish as the appetizer. Which I did: TEN POUNDS of it.

I will have to try that one soon. I usually wrap my jumbos with bacon and a sliver of bacon, then baste with BBQ sauce. Paprika and EVOO would be a good alternative for the sauce.

I like Zaatar - I brush olive oil on a piece of fresh pita bread (from a Middle Eastern Market) and then I sprinkle a generous amount of Zaatar on top and warm it in the oven. I'll have that with either a garlic spread, yogurt or hoummous.

Also, I love sumac. It's soooo good on a grilled chicken or beef kabob.

I like Zaatar - I brush olive oil on a piece of fresh pita bread (from a Middle Eastern Market) and then I sprinkle a generous amount of Zaatar on top and warm it in the oven. I'll have that with either a garlic spread, yogurt or hoummous.

Also, I love sumac. It's soooo good on a grilled chicken or beef kabob.

Hep

The flavors sound rather exotic, Hep. I'd love to try it sometime and will if I find a Middle Eastern deli.

Jmckee,that sounds a lot like New Orleans BBQ shrimp...With the butter sauce that you sop up with that wonderful New Orleans french bread !

It is very much that type of dish. The Heritage prided itself on regional American cooking, and was one of the few I know of outside Louisiana to do Cajun or Creole properly. The head chef even learned how to do a proper blackened redfish from Paul Prudhomme.

I like Zaatar - I brush olive oil on a piece of fresh pita bread (from a Middle Eastern Market) and then I sprinkle a generous amount of Zaatar on top and warm it in the oven. I'll have that with either a garlic spread, yogurt or hoummous.

Also, I love sumac. It's soooo good on a grilled chicken or beef kabob.

Fresh tarragon - I have a small pot of it, and it goes well in a pasta-crawfish dish I make.

Not really new - but fresh rosemary - you were talking about NO style barbequed shrimp - I make something similar, but more on the herbal side, butter, garlic, lemon juice, a little thyme and basil, parsley, lots of fresh rosemary - with heads-on jumbo shrimp.

I am a fan or marjoram too. It's delicious on roast pork and one of my favorite ways to cook fresh green beans is to put a can of chicken broth and a big chopped onion in a pot with some additional water, black pepper and marjoram. Bring to a boil, add the beans, and simmer until as done as you like them. You can also add some peeled and quartered potatoes and leftover ham chunks to make a whole meal.

I'd like to know more ways to use ground coriander too, which I didn't discover until I bought some to use in a sausage recipe.

RubyRose, At the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant where I was the chef, we made a very nice sausage called Corianderli. It had ground coriander, fresh coriander, lots of garlic, parsely and black pepper. It was so tasty.

Artichoke bottoms braised with orange juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, crushed red pepper, garlic, cumin and lots of fresh ground coriander make a wonderful salad. Reduce the braising liquid for the dressing. I like this one because it's better made one day ahead.

I've made babas with a coriander simple syrup instead of the usual rum. We served them with poached dried fruits and salty butterscotch. That was a very successful dessert. I really like coriander.

Epazote. I grew up eating it, but didn't know what I was eating and really wasn't all that interested in finding out back then. Once I grew up, started a family and commenced getting into cooking, I rediscovered it.

Like the flavor of cilantro, people either love it or hate it. There's no middle ground it seems.

I love cilantro, which is the green herb version of the coriander seed, kinda looks like flat leaf parsley. I never tasted it until I came out here to CA 20+ years ago. Most people love it or hate it. I think it adds a nice zing to Mexican and Thai food. It is a taste I cannot describe.

Tarragon sure seems to be a herb that is going by the wayside and forgotten. One of the first restaurants that I worked in did chicken with a tarragon cream sauce in puff pastry. That was the only dish that I have done with it. Too bad as I like anise/licorice type flavors.

Is saffron a herb or spice? I love it in certain dishes. Paella naturally..

I do not have any 'new' spices or herbs, but I do have new favorite ingredients. Most of the time it involves me trying to cook Asian style meals. Out of those, my favotite items are lemon grass, galangal, preserved or pickled radish or turnips. You can include ketjap manis, Mae Ploy chili sauce,coconut milk and curry pastes.

I have a few Thai cookbooks, and every time I discover I need a new ingredient. The spice cabinet keeps growing...

For those who want the BBQ shrimp recipe, it goes something like this:Reduce worchestershire sauce and hot sauce down by at least half in a pot. Chopped garlic should be in this reduction too.Whisk in some softened butter. Do this rapidly and make sure that the butter blends/emulsifies with the reduction. Add some lemon juice to taste. This dish benefits from the addition of fresh rosemary when served...

Cook shrimp in saute pan with more garlic. When they are done, quickly add the sauce and serve.

Exsquidao - A friend had trouble finding smoked paprika as well. I helped look for her in several stores - finally found it in-house at Williams-Sonoma. Do you have one near you, or possibly you could order from Penzey's?

Got to echo other's posters sentiments and say za'atar is a big favourite.

I live in Japan and there is a spice called Sancho, which they say is 'japanese pepper' but apparently it's something called the ashberry. They use it on broiled eel but I've put it in burgers. It's kind of resiny and too much numbs the tongue for a second. Worth trying.

My mother turned me on to Penzey's and I've never looked back. One of my favorites is their Bavarian spice blend. It's a mixture of crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and sage that tastes great in braised cabbage, or used as a rub for pork.

for all of you, looking to try any or all of the different herbs and spices that others have mentioned- there is a company out of the midwest called Penzey's. They sell all types of spices, rubs, herbs and such. They are on line and also have a great mail order catalogue that has some really tasty recipes in it- once you sign up they mail it ot about every 3 months or so. I love thir Smoked Spanish Paprika- who knew there were so many varieties of that one spice- and they all have their own individual flavor- and the spices come in small enough containers that you can try several without spend way too much. Give them a try!

I love using Cummin and Cilantro. I even make a rice dish with kidney beans and both spices. It's a Carribean recipe and I got the recipe off of Islanflav.com. I like to experiment with foods and am always looking for new recipes. I also order spice from Signature Spices and have bought many. I've bought several such as Cranberry Orange seafood seasoning, Sweet Bourbon Coffee Rub, Key Lime and Mandarin Habanero Rub.

I keep a small jar of homemade salt-free creole seasoning in the refrigerator and sprinkle it on any number of things I'm cooking and added to flour and bread crumb coatings. It's especially good with fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter. The ingredients include granulated onion, garlic, thyme, marjoram, freshly ground black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, and paprika.

My favorite of all time has to be Mediterranean Grey Sea Salt. I use it in every thing I make, even in my pasta water. It is kind of moist and not grainy at all. I have heard that because of some of the minerals in it that it can prevent and even treat gout. It was used in this manner in the 13th century by the Mongols and other Asian races.

I too love cilantro and cumin. One pepper mix that I use in chili is called "Janes Krazy Mixed Up Pepper". Baby carrots sauteed in tarragon are also very good. I basically love all spices but am not a huge fan of curry.

I recently discovered, thanks to my Iranian co-worker, zarchoobeh... otherwise known as turmeric. I first used it in a baked dish of potatoes, chicken, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, turned out pretty good. I used it on a pan of homefries I made the other day too, it worked pretty well.

I also like to use regular curry powder whenever I can, especially in my chicken wing sauce.